In the previous article we looked in detail at what an NEC programme should contain and why items such as logic, float, time risk allowance, Client obligations and realistic sequencing matter.

Artificial intelligence is beginning to change construction planning and project controls. New tools can review large programmes, process project records, automate repetitive tasks and identify patterns that would take a planner many hours to find manually.

Under NEC, the programme is much more than a bar chart showing when the works are expected to start and finish. It is one of the principal tools used to manage the project, assess change and establish the contractual effect of delay